Pew Research Center: Cell Internet Use 2012

17% of cell phone owners do most of their online browsing on their phone, rather than a computer or other device. Most do so for convenience, but for some their phone is their only option for online
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17% of cell phone owners do most of their online browsing on their phone, rather than a computer or other device. Most do so for convenience, but for some their phone is their only option for online access.

Transcript

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JUNE 26, 201217% of cell phone owners do most oftheir online browsing on their phone,rather than a computer or other deviceMost do so for convenience, but for some their phone is their only optionfor online access Aaron Smith Senior Research Specialist, Pew Internet ProjectPew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project1615 L St., NW – Suite 700Washington, D.C. 20036Phone: 202-419-4500http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/Cell-Internet-Use-2012.aspx

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Key FindingsSome 88% of U.S. adults own a cell phone of some kind as of April 2012, and more than half of these cellowners (55%) use their phone to go online. We call these individuals “cell internet users” throughoutthis report, and this represents a notable increase from the 31% of cell owners who said that they usedtheir phone to go online as recently as April 2009.Moreover, 31% of these current cell internet users say that they mostly go online using their cell phone,and not using some other device such as a desktop or laptop computer. That works out to 17% of alladult cell owners who are “cell-mostly internet users”—that is, who use their phone for most of theironline browsing. The size of the cell-mostly internet population Based on U.S. adults within each group % of cell internet % of all cell users who… owners who… Go online mostly on cell phone 31% 17% Use internet on cell phone, but go 60 33 online mostly using other device Use both equally / It depends 9 5 Don’t go online using cell phone n/a 45 Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, March 15-April 3, 2012 Tracking survey. N=2,254 adults ages 18 and older, including 903 interviews conducted on respondent’s cell phone. Margin of error is +/-3.7 percentage points based on those who use the internet or email on their cell phone (n=929).Young adults and non-whites are especially likely to use their cell phones for the majority of their onlineactivity:  Nearly half of all 18-29 year olds (45%) who use the internet on their cell phones do most of their online browsing on their mobile device.  Half (51%) of African-American cell internet users do most of their online browsing on their phone, double the proportion for whites (24%). Two in five Latino cell internet users (42%) also fall into the “cell-mostly” category.Additionally, those with an annual household income of less than $50,000 per year and those who havenot graduated college are more likely than those with higher levels of income and education to use theirphones for most of their online browsing.When asked for the main reason why they conduct most of their online browsing on a mobile phone,these cell-mostly users point to three major factors:pewinternet.org 2

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 Cell phones are convenient, always available – 64% of cell-mostly internet users mention factors related to convenience or the always-available nature of mobile phones when asked for the main reason why they do most of their online browsing on their cell phone.  Cell phones better fit people’s usage habits – 18% of cell-mostly internet users say that their online habits (or the habits of those around them) make their cell phone a simpler, more effective choice for going online. Just under one in ten (7%) say that they do mostly basic activities when they go online and do not require a more advanced device, while 6% say that they simply find their cell phone to be easier to use than a traditional computer.  Cell phones fill access gaps – 10% of cell-mostly internet users point towards a lack of other access options as the main reason why they primarily use their phone to go online, with 6% saying that they do not have access to a computer and 4% saying that they do not have any other source of internet access beyond their mobile connection.About this surveyThese are the findings from a national telephone survey conducted March 15-April 3, 2012 among 2,254adults age 18 and over, including 903 interviews conducted on the respondent’s cell phone. Interviewswere conducted in English and Spanish. The margin of error for all cell phone owners (n=1,954) is plus orminus 2.6 percentage points, and the margin of error for cell phone owners who go online using theirphones (n=929) is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.pewinternet.org 3

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Main findings: A majority of adult cell owners (55%) now goonline using their phonesMore than half of all adult cell owners now use their phones to go online as of April 2012. Our definitionof a “cell internet user” includes anyone who uses the internet or email on their cell phone, and 55% ofall adult cell phone owners use their phones for one or both of these reasons. Because 88% of U.S.adults now own a cell phone, that works out to 49% of all U.S. adults who go online using a cell phone atleast occasionally. Three-quarters of these cell phone internet users (74%) say that they go online usingtheir phone on a typical day1—meaning that on a typical day fully 41% of all cell owners are using theirphones to go online.Online access using cell phones has become steadily more commonplace since the Pew Internet Projectbegan measuring this behavior in the spring of 2009. At that point 31% of cell owners used either theinternet or email on their mobile devices. This increase in cell phone internet use has occurred intandem with the recent explosion in smartphone adoption. Just over half of American cell owners (53%,representing 46% of all U.S. adults) now own a smartphone of some kind, and 90% of these smartphoneowners say that they use their phone to go online.2 More than half of adult cell owners go online using their phones % of adult cell owners who use the internet or email on their phone 80% 60% 55% 47% 43% 53% 40% 44% 44% 31% 38% 38% 34% 20% 25% 25% 0% April 2009 May 2010 May 2011 April 2012 Email Internet Total Cell Internet Use Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project tracking surveys. 2012 figures based on March 15-April 3, 2012 Tracking survey. N=2,254 adults ages 18 and older, including 903 interviews conducted on respondent’s cell phone. Margin of error is +/-2.6 percentage points based on cell phone owners (n=1,954).1 Overall, 82% of all internet users say that they go online on a typical day.2 On a typical day, 81% of these smartphone internet users go online using their phone.pewinternet.org 4

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The demographics of cell phone internet usageCell phone internet usage is generally highest among groups with relatively high levels of smartphoneownership, and every major demographic group is more likely to engage in this activity in 2012 than wasthe case in 2009. The fastest-growing group over that time period is 25-34 year olds—fully 80% of cellowners in this age group now use their phones to go online, a 37-point increase from the 43% of suchcell owners who did so in 2009.Other age groups with high levels of cell phone internet usage include young adults ages 18-24 (75% ofcell owners in this age group use their phones to go online) and those ages 35-44 (68%). On the otherhand, seniors (defined as those 65 years of age or older) have joined the cell internet user ranks inmodest numbers. Although seven in ten seniors now own a cell phone, just 16% of them use theirphones to go online—this is by far the lowest usage rate of any major demographic group.In addition to age, other key demographic differences in cell phone internet use include:  Race/Ethnicity – Roughly two-thirds of black and Latino cell owners go online using their mobile phones, compared with half of whites.  Geographic location – Even though the proportion of rural cell owners who go online using their phones has more than doubled since April 2009, urban and suburban cell owners remain significantly more likely than their rural counterparts to go online using their phones.  Household income and Educational attainment – Along with having high overall levels of smartphone ownership, the relatively well-off and well-educated are more likely than cell owners with lower levels of income and education to use their phones to go online.pewinternet.org 5

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31% of cell internet users go online mostly using their cell phone, rather thanusing a computer or some other deviceWhen asked what device they normally use to access the internet, 31% of cell phone internet users saythat they mostly go online using their cell phone. Throughout this report, this group will be referred to as“cell-mostly internet users.” Meanwhile, six in ten cell internet users (60%) say that they mostly goonline using some other type of device, such as a desktop, laptop, or tablet computer. This group will bereferred to as “cell-occasionally internet users.” An additional 7% volunteered that they use their cellphone and some other device equally to go online, and 2% said that their choice of device depends onthe situation at hand. Since just over half of all cell owners use their phones to go online, this meansthat the cell-mostly group represents 17% of all adult cell phone owners in the United States. The size of the cell-mostly internet population Based on U.S. adults within each group % of cell internet % of all cell users who… owners who… Go online mostly on cell phone 31% 17% Use internet on cell phone, but go 60 33 online mostly using other device Use both equally / It depends 9 5 Don’t go online using cell phone n/a 45 Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, March 15-April 3, 2012 Tracking survey. N=2,254 adults ages 18 and older, including 903 interviews conducted on respondent’s cell phone. Margin of error is +/-3.7 percentage points based on those who use the internet or email on their cell phone (n=929).The 31% of cell internet users who go online mostly using their phones is similar to the 27% of suchinternet users who went online mostly using their phone the first time we asked this question in May2011. And as we saw in our 2011 survey, certain groups are especially likely to say that they conductmost of their online browsing using a mobile phone:  Young adults – Nearly half of cell internet users ages 18-29 (45%) do most of their online browsing on their phone.  Non-whites – Half (51%) of black cell internet users do most of their online browsing on their phone, double the proportion for whites (24%). Two in five Latino cell internet users also fall into the “cell-mostly” category.  Those with an annual household income of less than $50,000 per year, and those who have not graduated college.pewinternet.org 7

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Which cell internet users go online mostly using their phones? 55% of cell owners use the internet or email on their phones, and 31% of these cell internet users go online MOSTLY using their cell phone instead of some other device. (Example of how to read this chart: 45% of cell internet users ages 18-29 go online mostly using their phone, rather than some other device) Total for cell internet users (n=929) 31% Gender Men (n=469) 29 Women (n=460) 32 Age 18-29 (n=260) 45** 30-49 (n=383) 29* 50+ (n=274) 11 Race/Ethnicity White, non-Hispanic (n=601) 24 Black, non-Hispanic (n=137) 51* Hispanic (n=115) 42* Household Income Less than $30,000 (n=173) 43* $30,000-$49,999 (n=138) 36* $50,000-$74,999 (n=136) 24 $75,000+ (n=341) 21 Education level High school grad or less (n=278) 39* Some college (n=234) 38* College+ (n=412) 16 Geographic Location Urban (n=291) 33 Suburban (n=481) 28 Rural (n=118) 32 Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, March 15-April 3, 2012 Tracking survey. N=2,254 adults ages 18 and older, including 903 interviews conducted on respondent’s cell phone. Margin of error is +/-3.7 percentage points based on those who use the internet or email on their cell phone (n=929). *Represents significant difference compared with non-starred rows in group. **Represents significant difference compared with all other rows in group.Compared to the overall population, these cell-mostly internet users have roughly similar ownershiprates of various technology assets. However, they are considerably less likely than the “cell-occasionally”pewinternet.org 8

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group (those who go online using their phones but who usually use some other device) to own adesktop or laptop computer, to own an e-reader device, or to have a broadband connection at home. How the “cell-mostly” population compares when it comes to technology usage and ownership % within each group who… “Cell- “Cell-mostly” All adults occasionally” internet users internet users Own desktop computer 58% 48% 71%* Own laptop computer 61 72 81* Own tablet computer 18 26 32 Own e-book reader 18 20 27* Have broadband at home 66 70 89* Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, March 15-April 3, 2012 Tracking survey. N=2,254 adults ages 18 and older, including 903 interviews conducted on respondent’s cell phone. Margin of error is +/-2.4 percentage points based on all adults, +/- 7.6 percentage points based on cell-mostly users (n=228) and +/-4.6 percentage points based on cell-occasionally users (n=621). *Represents statistically significant differences between cell-occasionally and cell-mostly groups.Why people go online mostly using their phones—a matter of convenience formany, but a necessity for someFor the first time ever in our May survey, we asked these cell-mostly internet users (the 31% of cellphone internet users who go online mostly using their phones) to tell us the main reason why they usetheir phone for the majority of their online browsing.33 This was asked as an open-ended question. Interviewers did not probe survey respondents to elaborate on theiranswers, and did not ask respondents to provide additional reasons for their usage patterns.pewinternet.org 9

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Main reasons for going online mostly using cell phone 17% of adult cell phone owners say that they go online mostly using their cell phone instead of some other device; these are the factors they cite as their MAIN reason for doing so. Cell phone is more convenient 38% Cell phone is always with me 23 Mostly do basic activities online 7 Don’t have a computer at home 6 Cell phone is easier to use than a computer 6 Use phone for work, or to go online while at work 4 Only have internet access on phone / No internet at home 4 Speed / Phone is faster than computer 2 Someone else is usually using computer 1 Other 6 Don’t Know / Refuse 3 Summary of reasons Convenience/Availability (is more convenient + is always 64% with me + speed/faster) Usage (mostly do basic online activities + easier to use + use 18 for/at work + someone else usually on computer) Access (don’t have computer + no other internet access) 10 Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, March 15-April 3, 2012 Tracking survey. N=2,254 adults ages 18 and older, including 903 interviews conducted on respondent’s cell phone. Margin of error is +/-7.6 percentage points based on those who mostly use the internet on their cell phone (n=228).Although the “cell-mostly” group is too small to conduct a detailed sub-group analysis of the reasonspeople do most of their browsing on a cell phone, their responses point toward three major themes thatmight influence this decision:Cell phones are convenient, always available – Nearly two-thirds of cell-mostly users mention factorsrelated to convenience or availability. Some 38% of cell-mostly users cited the convenience of cellphones as the main reason why they do most of their online browsing on their phone, and an additional23% cited the fact that their cell phone is always with them.Cell phones better fit people’s usage habits – Roughly one in five cell-mostly users say that their onlinehabits (or the habits of those around them) make their cell phone their preferred choice for goingonline. For example, 7% say that they do mostly basic activities when they go online and do not requirea more advanced device, while 6% say that they simply find their cell phone to be easier to use than apewinternet.org 10

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traditional computer. An additional 4% cite the demands of employment—they use their phones to stayconnected with their jobs when out of the office, or to go online for personal reasons while on the job.Cell phones fill access gaps – A total of one in ten cell-mostly users point towards a lack of other accessoptions as the main reason why they primarily use their phone to go online, with 6% saying that they donot have a computer at home and 4% saying that they do not have any other source of online access athome.Interestingly, the proportion of cell-mostly users who cite access concerns as the main reason why theydo most of their browsing on their cell phone is substantially smaller than the proportion who do nothave a broadband connection or home computer (for example, 30% of these cell-mostly users do nothave a broadband connection at home, but just 4% cite a lack of access options as the main reason whythey conduct most of their internet use on their phone).Although we do not have the ability to account for this discrepancy directly, several intriguingpossibilities suggest themselves:  Access issues may be a second- or third-order concern for some cell-mostly users. Because we only asked for the main reason people mostly use their phones to go online, our data would not capture these secondary concerns.  Some cell-mostly users may be choosing to opt out of traditional internet access in favor of their cell phone for the other reasons listed (i.e. cell phones are a more convenient form of access and/or fit better with their usage patterns).  Even if they lack a computer or broadband connection at home, some of these users may be having their access needs sufficiently met elsewhere (such as at work or school).pewinternet.org 11

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Q17 continued... YES NO DON’T KNOW REFUSED b. Access the internet Current 53 46 * * August 2011 48 52 * 0 May 2011 44 56 0 0 December 2010 42 58 * * November 2010 39 61 * * September 2010 39 61 * 0 May 2010 38 62 0 0 January 2010 34 66 0 0 December 2009 32 67 * 0 September 2009 29 71 * 0 April 2009 25 74 * *Q19 Did you happen to use the internet on your cell phone YESTERDAY? Based on those who use the internet or email on their cell phone CURRENT MAY 2011 % 74 Yes, used the internet on cell phone yesterday 70 25 No, did not use the internet on cell phone yesterday 30 1 Don’t know * 0 Refused 0 [n=929] [n=746]Q20 Overall, when you use the internet, do you do that mostly using your cell phone or mostly using some other device like a desktop, laptop or tablet computer? Based on those who use the internet or email on their cell phone CURRENT MAY 2011 % 31 Mostly on cell phone 27 60 Mostly on something else 62 7 Both equally (VOL.) 10 2 Depends (VOL.) 1 * Don’t know * * Refused * [n=929] [n=746]pewinternet.org 13

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Q21 What is the MAIN reason why you use the internet mostly on your cell phone, instead of using some other device? [PRECODED OPEN-END] Based on those who mostly use the internet/email on their cell phone instead of another device [N=228] CURRENT % 38 Cell phone is more convenient 23 Cell phone is always with me 7 Mostly do basic activities online 6 Cell phone is easier to use than a computer 6 Don’t have a computer at home 4 Use phone for work / Use phone to go online while at work 4 Only have internet access on cell phone / Don’t have internet access at home 2 Speed / Phone is faster than computer 1 Someone else in household is usually on computer 6 Other (SPECIFY) 1 Don’t know 2 RefusedThis report is based on the findings of a survey on Americans use of the Internet. The results in thisreport are based on data from telephone interviews conducted by Princeton Survey Research AssociatesInternational from March 15 to April 3, 2012, among a sample of 2,254 adults, age 18 and older.Telephone interviews were conducted in English and Spanish by landline (1,351) and cell phone (903,including 410 without a landline phone). For results based on the total sample, one can say with 95%confidence that the error attributable to sampling is plus or minus 2.4 percentage points. For resultsbased Internet users (n=1,803), the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2.7 percentage points. Inaddition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting telephone surveysmay introduce some error or bias into the findings of opinion polls.A combination of landline and cellular random digit dial (RDD) samples was used to represent all adultsin the continental United States who have access to either a landline or cellular telephone. Both sampleswere provided by Survey Sampling International, LLC (SSI) according to PSRAI specifications. Numbersfor the landline sample were selected with probabilities in proportion to their share of listed telephonehouseholds from active blocks (area code + exchange + two-digit block number) that contained three ormore residential directory listings. The cellular sample was not list-assisted, but was drawn through asystematic sampling from dedicated wireless 100-blocks and shared service 100-blocks with nodirectory-listed landline numbers.New sample was released daily and was kept in the field for at least five days. The sample was releasedin replicates, which are representative subsamples of the larger population. This ensures that completecall procedures were followed for the entire sample. At least 7 attempts were made to complete aninterview at a sampled telephone number. The calls were staggered over times of day and days of theweek to maximize the chances of making contact with a potential respondent. Each number received atleast one daytime call in an attempt to find someone available. For the landline sample, interviewersasked to speak with the youngest adult male or female currently at home based on a random rotation. Ifno male/female was available, interviewers asked to speak with the youngest adult of the other gender.pewinternet.org 14

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For the cellular sample, interviews were conducted with the person who answered the phone.Interviewers verified that the person was an adult and in a safe place before administering the survey.Cellular sample respondents were offered a post-paid cash incentive for their participation. Allinterviews completed on any given day were considered to be the final sample for that day.Weighting is generally used in survey analysis to compensate for sample designs and patterns of non-response that might bias results. A two-stage weighting procedure was used to weight this dual-framesample. The first-stage corrected for different probabilities of selection associated with the number ofadults in each household and each respondent’s telephone usage patterns. This weighting also adjustsfor the overlapping landline and cell sample frames and the relative sizes of each frame and eachsample.The second stage of weighting balances sample demographics to population parameters. The sample isbalanced to match national population parameters for sex, age, education, race, Hispanic origin, region(U.S. Census definitions), population density, and telephone usage. The Hispanic origin was split outbased on nativity; U.S born and non-U.S. born. The White, non-Hispanic subgroup is also balanced onage, education and region. The basic weighting parameters came from a special analysis of the CensusBureau’s 2011 Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) that included all households in theUnited States. The population density parameter was derived from Census 2000 data. The cell phoneusage parameter came from an analysis of the July-December 2010 National Health Interview Survey.Following is the full disposition of all sampled telephone numbers:pewinternet.org 15